# Pipe smoking vs anxiety



## MickeyFinn (Jan 1, 2008)

Pipe smoking seems to be a perfect fit to ease anxiety in your day, something about the tobacco or the pipe or both seems to work very well for me. Anyone else had this discovery?
Dave


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

I know if I sit around puffing a pipe often enough during the day the world could come crashing down and I wouldn't care one bit.


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## SmokinJohnny (Jan 21, 2009)

For me, Balkan blends loaded with latakia whack anxiety like a sledge hammer does a tack. As Mad Hatter posted, nothing else matters.
:rockon:


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## dj1340 (Mar 30, 2009)

Hard to get very excited with a good cigar in hand or a good pipeful of tobacco.
Unless your on fire or something!!


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## Dedalus (Dec 10, 2008)

Paired with a Sam Cooke record...it soothes the anxious beast every time (somehow makes the music sound better, too).


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## Thrust (Mar 20, 2009)

I believe pipe history often extols the virtues of pipe smoking as a soothing pleasure that reduces anxiety. It certainly works wonders for me!!


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Anytime I have to perform certain deeds around the house that cause me grief, I first fire up the pipe. Without doing so, my kids hear me get irritated with the attendant cries of "Muf*r SOB sh*tFIRE"!!!

With pipe in mouth, it's "Oh golly gee, I seem to be having some trouble with this - la la la". 

Seriously! The calming influence of the pipe is well documented and for me it isn't about the nicotine. I don't inhale so I don't get all that much. And nicotine is a stimulant, anyway. If anything, it should make you more anxious, not less. So I think it's just the overall calming influence of pipe and tobacco.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

dmkerr said:


> Anytime I have to perform certain deeds around the house that cause me grief, I first fire up the pipe.


Yep, me too. By the time I'm finished with my pipe I don't care if it gets done or not. No grief, no problem :lolat:


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## Hendu3270 (Jan 23, 2009)

Definitely relaxes me. Been smoking cigars for a couple years now and they always help me relax, but nothing like slowly puffing on one of my pipes.


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## Zeabed (Apr 23, 2009)

dmkerr said:


> The calming influence of the pipe is well documented and for me it isn't about the nicotine. I don't inhale so I don't get all that much. And nicotine is a stimulant, anyway. If anything, it should make you more anxious, not less. So I think it's just the overall calming influence of pipe and tobacco.


Agree wholeheartedly. I believe that the pleasure of smoking the right bowlful releases endorphins inside us and puts us right in the Zone. This leads to a state of serenity, contemplation and human benevolence. "Until human voices wake us, and we drown."


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## Arizona (Jul 19, 2007)

No doubt, the pipe is a soothing friend that melts away the stress and calms the soul.


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## cp478 (Oct 23, 2008)

that is a major factor that keeps me in pipe smoking.


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## cp478 (Oct 23, 2008)

has anyone else noticed that latakia rich blends tend to be a little more relaxing or is it just me?


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## Dedalus (Dec 10, 2008)

Sometimes, as evidenced by reading posts on this board, I think the pipe induces a bit of anxiety. While we're all reflecting on the pipe's calming effects, perhaps this is the best thread to remind ourselves that a perfectly formed cake or smoking to the bottom with only one light or trying every tobacco available in a single week, are secondary to the pleasure of a relaxing smoke. 

Certainly when I started I wanted to be a 'perfect' pipe smoker. I wanted a nice collection of pipes and a cellar full of different baccys, (and sure, I still do), but recent events have forced me to rely on a single cob and a tin of FVF, and I'll tell you what, it's been the best smoking week I've had. I stopped giving a $(*%& about all the above mentioned details...and in doing so, have gained a greater appreciation for them, so that when I do start to rebuild the collection, break in and maintain the pipes, I hope I remember this past week and don't get overly serious about what it is I'm doing: sucking smoke through a pretty piece of wood. 

Dillon's thread about advice to the newb (slow down) doesn't just apply to the smoking process, I think it applies to the entire piping experience. Buy a pipe, spend a few weeks getting to know it. Maybe but a tin of baccy and spend a few weeks getting to know it as well. Then move on. Last time around it took me 4 months to acquire 7 pipes. And I never really felt attached to them. I enjoyed them all, but they weren't sentimental or special (save for the one that was gifted to me, which I don't smoke anyhow). I got seduced by PAD and TAD just like everyone else, but I don't think I will again. What seems ultimately more important to me now is exactly what the originator of this thread intended to highlight: pipe smoking is supposed to reduce anxiety, not be the cause of it. Here's hoping I can remember than when I start purchasing again...


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## DubintheDam (Jun 5, 2007)

There is far too much worrying about pipe smoking amongst many newbies. And. It's not really what it's all about. A pipe can help you reach a serious level of de-stressing. That can't be said for a cigarette really. I often say a ciggie is like an expresso...a pipe is like a glass of wine...certainly with regard to effect.


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## Reverie Forest (Mar 31, 2009)

DubintheDam said:


> There is far too much worrying about pipe smoking amongst many newbies...


As one of those mentioned, I can certainly attest to the fact that getting all the in's and out's of pipe smoking to be a bit laborious and at times stressful. Sure there are time's I'll get fed up with a failed trial-and-error run, but those times when I've gotten it right just long enough to enjoy...how rewarding. Assures me that I'm a step closer to pure, consistent enjoyment.


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## AcworthAl (Mar 16, 2009)

Anxiety, I thought that was what pipe smoking prevented. I was going to compare smoking pipes to women; there are big ones, little ones, good ones, ah well I will not go there. Pipes are just a way to enjoy tobacco, a beautiful way no doubt. I would not want to screw up the satisfaction I get from smoking one, with worrying about how it should be done. There are just a couple of things I do. I keep the pipe clean and the bowl up; otherwise, the tobacco falls out and burns your legs or pants.


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## garydh2000 (Dec 22, 2008)

It is 86 degrees and sunny today here in Pittsburgh, PA as I sit in my cubicle and gaze out of the windows. So I am getting real "anxious" to get home and have a nice bowl on my back patio.

Cheers,

Gary


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## SmokinJohnny (Jan 21, 2009)

cp478 said:


> has anyone else noticed that latakia rich blends tend to be a little more relaxing or is it just me?


Yes, latakia puts me in sort of a freindly, silly, stupor. I can just sit there like a bump on a log and be perfectly content. Everything just sort of rolls over my head.


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